UKC

It's Welsh dot-watching time again. Starts in Conwy tomorrow morning and ends in Cardiff on Saturday. Good luck and fair weather everybody.

https://live.opentracking.com/dragonsbackrace2025/

Grim conditions on the high tops this morning. Leader, David Parrish, between Glyder Fach and Fawr.

Hoping the tracker on 278 is having a bad day, otherwise I think he might be...

Big shout to number 66, Carmine De Grandis. He's done the Spine and DB whilst carrying an accordion. Lovely chap as well as being bonkers.

And to 212 Carwyn Phillips. Here he is, in the mini skirt, marshalling during the 2024 event. 😂 

He's on my favourites, he was on the cover of a DBR instagram post yesterday in a very pink skirt! Don't know who'll fill is 'role' at the CPs this year...

Crib Goch has been scrubbed. It's up the PYG...

Interesting, some people will be quite happy about that! I passed a few people having a moment on the arete last year.

It does look a bit grey and wet in the valleys so the tops would be liable to be a bit wet and wild, probably a good call overall, excited to see the state of the slip and slide from Gallt y Wanallt into Camp 1 this year...

I did wonder whether they would go over - MWIS was warning of thunder for this afternoon on yesterday's forecast. Quite a few people looking like they're going to miss the Ogwen cut off at 2pm

Some do look a bit tight and it's a nasty slog over to the Pen y Pass from there too for the next cut off

After a horrible morning yesterday, it's light winds and sun-kissed mountains today. Moelwynion and Rhinogydd await. 😊

Lots of wrong turns being taken right now... I make it 8 runners are currently off route in and around Moel Ysdyfarnogod, including leading female runner Holly Wootten.

Several runners went west to Nant Pasgan, and then south to rejoin the route. And a few also took a direct line up past Craig y Gwynt rather than following the Cambrian Way to near Tyn Twll and then turning west.

TECHNICALLY....this section of the route isn't mandated, so is just connect the dots how you do to the next CP. I personally took the same route up towards Craig y Gwynt and before Moel Ysdyfarnogod, the first one was a personal preference but it is slightly shorter, the second cuts having to ascend and then descend Foel Penolau.

I'm more amazed by the frequency of people cutting west of Llyn Du, and the corner off after Rhinog Fawr as those bits are scrambling over horrible sections of jagged rock!

Are there 'aid stations' with gels etc or just water points? I know they have a bag at some of the support points so do they have to supply their own food to collect along the way from their bag at the support point? 

That is excellent news! Never nice to see standings affected by penalties.

Good insight, thank you. 

Routing for the local Ieaun currently in 4th. A good mate and a really solid runner. 

Every year I say never but it looks really cool 

Following the wall to the west of Llyn Du and then up the slabs to the upper gully of Rhinog Fawr actually saves about 15min compared to the recommended route, but certainly needs a good recce or two beforehand.😉

The weather today was pretty mixed, but nowhere near as bad as yesterday. Hardly any wind on the tops, quite muggy and some low cloud during the showers. A very impressive performance by Holly Wooten again, seems to be wiping the floor with almost everybody. Here she is summiting Rhinog Fawr.

I'll say! I got halfway up following someone before checking my GPS, writing it off as a fools errand and went back to the normal route, awful terrain!